[Pkg-cups-devel] Bug#703508: texttopdf should be also available as a standalone application

[Ivan Shmakov]

Package: cups-filters
Version: 1.0.18-2.1
Severity: wishlist
Control: affects -1 a2ps
Control: affects -1 enscript

	Now that both GNU a2ps and GNU Enscript are no longer actively
	maintained, and have as of yet unresolved issues with their
	integration into the modern Debian GNU system (such as: proper
	UTF-8 and Fontconfig support), the ‘texttopdf’ filter (as
	provided by the cups-filters package) seems virtually the only
	sensible way to perform “plain text” to PDF conversion.

	Therefore, my suggestion would be to perform whatever minor
	modifications necessary to make ‘texttopdf’ also available as a
	stand-alone (as in: /usr/bin) program, and provide some
	documentation (such as a manual page.)  Currently, it's not very
	convenient to use; consider, e. g.:

$ LC_ALL=eo.UTF-8 dpkg --help \
      | CHARSET=utf-8 /usr/lib/cups/filter/texttopdf \
            "" "" "" 1 "page-left=40, page-right=40, cpi=11" \
      > help.pdf 

	I guess that both the GNU a2ps and GNU Enscript Debian packages
	could then eventually be retired.  (Thus finally resolving
	Debian Bug#180236, #229595, #498830, and probably a few more.)

	TIA.

-- 
FSF associate member #7257